Your vehicle’s water pump is one of the most important parts of your car’s engine. To keep your car running it is crucial to maintain engine temperature and It is the job of the water pump to continually circulate coolant through your vehicle's engine and back through the radiator so that it doesn't overheat. We recommend that your engine's water pump be replaced when the timing belt is serviced or immediately when a leak or malfunction is detected. Refer to the owner’s manual for timing belt service intervals. When a water pump fails either by leaking coolant or through an inability to circulate coolant the result is engine overheating. If ignored, driving a vehicle with an overheated engine will result in engine failure requiring very costly repairs and even complete engine replacement. From a safety standpoint, a water pump failure won't likely pose a problem for other motorists but could leave you stranded with no warning. From an environmental point of view there is significant impact because leaking engine coolant is poisonous and could be ingested by children pets and other animals.